I Tried At-Home Fillers, And The Results May Surprise You

My skin before and after the using the oxygen mask treatment for a few days.

Fillers get rave reviews for their ability to smooth and tighten the skin, fill in hollowed areas, and plump spots where collagen and fat pads have thinned. Yet somehow the mere thought of going under the needle, even for Botox, scares the living daylights out of me. Why? Well, I’ve seen really impressive results, and I’ve also seen not-so-desirable results—and those are the ones that stay with me. But the fact that my face doesn’t quite resemble the youthful, glowing, plump self it did 10 years ago has me wanting to try something that will help turn back the clock just a smidge. I’m not talking about drastic, face-altering results—because truly I like looking my age or something close to it—but I would like a rejuvenation. And that’s where the new at-home versions of these powerful smoothers become very appealing to me. They have the same powerful ingredients used in the doctor's office—like hyaluronic acid and oxygen—but in smaller, DIY doses.

And surprisingly, these at-home faux fillers have some street cred with dermatologists, who back up their ability to deliver results. “Used on a daily basis, you’ll see that your skin is smoother and plumper,” says Dendy Engelman, M.D., a dermatologist in New York City. “They’re also excellent companions to dermatologist treatments that do more of the heavy lifting. Used afterward, they up the ante of the treatment, improving the quality of your skin and helping prolong the results.” So whether you’re like me, and just want to go the over-the-counter route, or you’re thinking you’d benefit more from a combination of dermatologist and over-the-counter remedies, take comfort in knowing that this new generation of skin treatments that pack a serious age-fighting punch.

Hyaluronic acid fillers have become a popular Botox alternative in recent years, and now you can get similar (temporary) results with a plumping mask.

A natural sugar that we all already have in our bodies, hyaluronic acid is the go-to for most dermatologists because it’s safe (no risk of allergic reactions), completely reversible if someone doesn’t like the results (there’s an enzyme that can be injected to dissolve it in 24 hours), and lasts for approximately 18-24 months. Additionally, with derm-level fillers, the results are instantaneous. At home, I used the Dr. Brandt Needles No More 3-D Filler Mask ($95, sephora.com) to get a similar reshaping effect.

How it works: This off-white mask, which comes with a wide flat-bristled brush, has very specific instructions. The box says to start at your chin and sweep up one side of your face along the marionette lines around your mouth. Then go across your face (under your eye) to your hairline and sweep back down on a diagonal back to your chin. Repeat on the other side of your face. You’re basically making an inverted triangle on each side. Then you can spot apply on your forehead and outer edges of your eyes.

Once it’s on your skin, you’ll notice the immediate cooling feeling that lasts for well over five minutes. It’s actually pretty refreshing, like you have a mask of water sitting on top of your skin—which also makes you feel like it’s really working its magic. You’ll know exactly when it’s sinking in because the sensation turns from cool to warm on different spots of your face before your whole face turns warm. I applied it right before bed and went to sleep with it on—you’re not supposed to wash it off. NOTE: When it comes to application, you don’t need to use an overly heavy hand when applying. I did—oops!—and there was a white residue left on my face in the morning. So when I went to apply my liquid foundation, the left-over product started to ball up.

The results: This product has a HA booster (hyaluronic acid in both high and low molecular weights), peptides, and Adipofill’in (a fancy name for encapsulated amino acid) in the ingredients list. The mask delivered where I needed it most—firming and filling along my cheeks and smoothing fine lines around my eyes. After using this for only two days, I could barely see any crow’s feet at the outer corners of my eyes—and they were definitely there before! By day three, the lines were gone. As for my cheeks, my husband came home from a business trip and told me I looked different. When I asked, “How so?” He told me that my cheeks looked “rounder,” which I interpret to mean more plump and defined. Mission accomplished.

And the science is legit: The benefit to using an over-the-counter version is for real, “Hyaluronic acid has the ability to hold water and pump water to different areas. It’s a great hydrator for the skin, so it’s definitely going to give superficial plumping and hydration to help with fine lines. It’s totally legit,” says Engelman. “And with today’s newest skincare innovations there are better delivery systems like microencapsulating it or nano gold technology, which helps drive it deeper into the skin than at-home versions have gone before, for longer-lasting results.” But for more dramatic lift and volume, injectables still rule. “At-home versions do not have the delivery system to allow for hyaluronic acid to go to deeper levels in the skin that a dermatologist could inject it to,” adds Engelman.

Oxygen is another popular treatment in dermatologist offices to get an immediate plumping effect. So, I tried an oxygen-infused face mask at home for an instant glow.

In-office oxygen treatments have the ability to increase the blood supply to skin, which science has shown can lead to better collagen production and in turn fewer lines and wrinkles. The risk-free facial is safe for all but best used as a day-of treatment (think wedding day or formal event prep). “It’s a transient improvement, so skin looks immediately flushed and plump, but the effects are fleeting,” says Engelman. At home, I tried the StriVectin Oxygen Infusion Smoothing Mask ($62, strivectin.com) to see how long the results would last.

How it works: The product pumps out like a white cream moisturizer but once you start applying it on clean dry skin (and you need to move fast) it begins to morph into a bubbling foam. Once the foam starts to form, you’re not supposed to rub it in or touch it. Just let it do its thing. And “its thing” is that it feels like a million microscopic-sized minions are running loose all over your face trying to eat up the foam and all of your dead skin cells. It tickles and is quite unnerving at the same time. I left it on for about five minutes, and at the end of that time the tickling sensation had stopped. The foam had completely dried up, and I was left with a whitish-looking mask on my face. I rinsed it all off with warm water then applied my usual nighttime moisturizer on top.

The results: The radiance-boosting oxygen technology is meant to smooth fine lines and wrinkles away while also lifting surface dirt and impurities off of the skin. The ingredients also include beta-hydroxy acids, which gently exfoliate and increase cell renewal, and NIA-114 (proprietary to StriVectin) to moisturize and strengthen skin’s barrier. This self-foaming mask actually went to work super-fast. Immediately I could tell that my skin looked more flushed and glowy—not to mention tighter and squeaky clean. I can’t say I saw a difference in the appearance of my fine lines and wrinkles, but I did notice that the flush on my cheeks seemed to give them a more plumped-up appearance.

And the dermatologist agrees it's a winner: Recommended for use two or three times a week, I can see how this mask would make a great improvement in the appearance of your skin. In the short time I used it, my skin looked healthier and more radiant. It doesn’t have the capacity to reshape your face, like hyaluronic acid, but it's good for an immediate fix. “Oxygen on the skin can be very beautiful and makes a superficial improvement in fine lines and tone,” says Engelman. “Used the day before and day of a big event, you’ll get a smooth, radiant, plumped effect.”